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Golden Ears . . . a Hearing Dog Training Center
Established in 1993 as a non profit organization, Golden Ears works to train hearing dogs for the deaf and severely hard of hearing and their partners. Most of our activities take place in the Tacoma, Washington area, however we have volunteers located around the Puget Sound. There is an great need for these special team members. Read on to find out about hearing guide dogs and how you can help.
What is a Hearing dog?
A hearing dog is specially trained to alert a person to specific sounds they cannot hear. Sounds such as the alarm clock, smoke alarm, oven timer, door knock/bell and telephone are some of the more common sounds selected for the dog's training. For more information about guide dogs and service dogs, check out the Delta Society web site.
Where do the dogs come from?
Golden Ears enjoys working with local animal shelters and other rescue organizations and programs to rescue dogs that are alert and responsive to sounds. We love giving them their chance at such a unique lifestyle! Owner training classes may also include rescue dogs.
How do I know if I qualify for a hearing dog?
Those who qualify are usually individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. You can E-MAIL US your name and address at Goldnears1@aol.com and ask us to send you an application form for our review. OR you can send us a letter at the address below. You will need to return the application form with a copy of your recent hearing test and an application fee.
Who Helps at Golden Ears?
We have some great volunteers at Golden Ears. All funds received go to the training and placement of the dogs in our program. Some of our volunteers include: A veterinarian, an audiologist, an illustrator who created our logo, various consultants, sign language interpreters, and individuals who do dog sitting, obedience, social and sound training with our hearing dogs in-training. Volunteers share their 'extra time' with us outside of their regular jobs - we appreciate them! Others have assisted in our office work as well. Some individuals and groups do fund-raising projects. We ask applicants to become involved in locating funding sources and ideas.
Can my dog be trained as a hearing dog? We will be offering a class with limited space available for people to learn and train with their dog. First, an application must be filled out and both the applicant and the dog must qualify to be accepted into the program. The dog must be tested and approved before beginning the program. There will be a fee for the class. If you want to train your dog and do not have one, we can help you find a dog that qualifies for the program and fits your needs that you can train. Trainers will assist applicants through the program. Ask us for more details on this new class. Please be aware that a hearing dog is a 24 hour a day 7 day a week job :)
How Can I Help?
We appreciate any way you can help! The cost to train a hearing dogs is $5,000. Your contributions help the program to progress and enable us to train and place more dogs. Cash donations are welcome, also donations of grooming supplies, collars, leashes, bowls, crates, equipment for training and other items for the dogs; computers and software also help us track and keep our records. Do you have some great fund raising ideas? Are you interested in helping? Volunteering? Learning how to help train these unique and special dogs? E-MAIL US your name and address at: Goldnears1@aol.com and we will send you an application form and more information.
Our mailing address is: Golden Ears Hearing Guide Dog Training Center, P. O. Box 64183, Tacoma, WA 98464-0183
Unique Services
Golden Ears Director, Linda, is late deaf. She has a great understanding of the challenges this presents in our daily life. Linda has her own hearing dog -Dominic, a Belgian Malinois, that was rescued and later trained at Golden Ears. He is her second hearing dog. (Linda's first hearing dog, passed away in 1997 after 13 years of working together as a team). Dominic is a special team member and accompanies Linda (a Health Services Consultant) to work, as well as responding to sounds in the home. Linda is very involved in the selection and sound training of Golden Ears' dogs.
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Dominic ready to go to work with Linda.
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